Russell Martin

Entering his walk-year as a free agent, it's been a rough season for the Yankees' catcher, as his power numbers are down and his batting average is below .200.

He's dealt with nagging injuries recently, which has also caused a drop-off in production.

His defense behind the plate has still been good despite the nagging injuries, managing the Yankees pitching staff and calling the games behind the plate, which is ultimately the biggest importance of Martin's role with the team.

However, if he could hit for a higher average, that would not only benefit Martin, but the Yankees as well.

Cody Eppley

When the season started, nobody really knew who Cody Eppley was, but because of injuries to the Yankees' bullpen, it gave the 26-year-old an opportunity.

He was called up on April 20 and has done a great job with the Yankees in the bullpen.

In 29 appearances, he's pitched in 23.1 innings and has a 2.70 ERA with 14 strikeouts. He does have 11 walks and his control can be erratic at times, but given that he barely pitched for the Rangers in 2011, he's been a steady arm in the Yankees' bullpen.

In the second half, it'll be interesting to see how Eppley can perform for the Bombers in key games when they are chasing a pennant.

Boone Logan

Boone Logan went from being the third lefty in the Yankees' bullpen to the number one lefty by default in 2011 due to injuries to Damaso Marte and Pedro Feliciano.

Feliciano is still on the DL and Marte is out of baseball, but Logan has done well for the Yankees.

In 43 appearance, Logan has pitched in 31 innings, has a 4-0 record with a 3.77 ERA with 41 strikeouts.

In a year where the Yankees bullpen has had to call up a lot of different people and go with some younger names most might not know about, Logan has been one of the consistent relievers the Yankees and Joe Girardi has been able to count on.

Cory Wade

Wade gave up a tying home run to the Washington Nationals on June 16 and since then, it's like the wheels came off for Wade.

Since that blown save, he's allowed 16 earned runs, which has skyrocketed his ERA all the way up to 6.48, which not only got him demoted to Class AAA, but it forced the Yankees to trade for Chad Qualls.

Wade got called back up for the second game of the double-header against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 7, but that was another disastrous outing.

In 0.2 innings pitched, he allowed three runs on four hits and put the game out of reach for the Yankees in the 9-5 loss.

Wade has clearly fallen out of favor in the bullpen and with the returns of Joba Chamberlain and David Aardsma looming, he may not be back for a while.

Clay Rapada

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2012 stats: 2-0, 2.55 ERA, 23 strikeouts

Clay Rapada came into the season hoping for a chance to win a spot in the bullpen, and with injuries to Pedro Feliciano and Cesar Cabral, Rapada got onto the roster almost by default. But he has done very well in 2012.

Rapada has become the Yankees lefty-specialist pitcher, which is also known as the "loogy," or the lefty one-out guy.

In 41 appearances, Rapada has a 2-0 record with a 2.55 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 24.2 innings with the Yankees.

In fact, Rapada has been so effective, he hasn't allowed an earned run since June 7 against the Rays.

His ERA then was 4.30, and he hasn't allowed a run in 18 straight appearances, which is why his ERA is now at 2.55.

For someone who wasn't originally thought to be on the team when the season started, Rapada has held up very well.

Mariano Rivera

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2012 stats: 1-1, 2.16 ERA, 8 strikeouts, 5 saves

When the 2012 season began, we all kind of thought this would be the final hurrah for the Yankees closer.

That was until May 3, 2012, when Mariano Rivera was shagging fly balls in the outfield of Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and tore his ACL, which required surgery and he was expected to miss the rest of the 2012 season.

Rivera quickly declared that he was not through just yet and wanted to return for the Yankees in 2013 because he didn't want his career to end like that.

However, there's some hope for Rivera in 2012, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Dr. Keith Pyne said that Rivera's rehab is progressing faster than expected and there's a slight chance he might make it back for 2012.

In May, the Yankees didn't expect to see Rivera back until 2013. But if they can see him anytime in 2012, whether it's September or even October, that would be a tremendous victory for the Yankees.